Poet documents 25 years of life in pub

LIFE at a pub in Kidderminster over the past 25 years has been preserved in poetry by one of its regulars.

Tony Smith, 72, of Oldnall Road in the town, has been writing poems about characters at his local, The Station Inn, for a quarter of a century and has now compiled the collection into his debut published work.

Pub Lives in Poetry features, according to the back cover, “tongue-in-cheek observations of the comings, goings, happenings, events, loves and losses” at the public house in Farfield.

Mr Smith said: “My work captures the spirit of the lives of a small concentrated group of people who have lived, loved, lost, laughed and enjoyed each other’s society at their local and will, no doubt, strike a chord with pub-goers everywhere.

“Some of the poems are amusing while others are poignant and it is a real mixed bag of human life and human interest.

“The unique part is that nobody has ever put together, to the best of my knowledge, a history in poetry of a single inn over such a time period.”

The poet performed his verses at birthdays, weddings and funerals of landlords and regulars over the years and his readings became a pub tradition.

His work paints a picture of local life and one of his pieces, Lost Threads, reflects on the changes that have occurred in Kidderminster.

Mr Smith, who is a semi-retired building contractor who also works part-time as a taxi-driver, has lived in Kidderminster all his life. He can trace his family roots in the area as far back as 1780.

His interest in poetry was inspired by a school trip to see Laurence Olivier’s portrayal of Richard III in the 1950s and he has written more than 500 poems and prose in total.

Pub Lives in Poetry will be officially launched on Saturday and is available to purchase from The Station Inn.